HOLLIDAYSBURG — Simply put, Cameron County ran into a buzz saw.
Blairsville looked every bit the part of a state title contender, leading from start-to-finish in an impressive 72-25 win over the Lady Raiders Saturday at Hollidaysburg High School in the first round of the PIAA Class A playoffs.
“Going in we were going to pack it in and try to shut down their big forward (Chelsey Koren) and they came out and hit three after three after three,” said Cameron County coach Dave Sullivan. “It took us right out of the game.”
For Cameron County, it ended what was a special ride to the state tournament — their first trip since 2003.
As the No. 7 seed in District 9, they beat A-C Valley in a triple overtime classic in the first round, followed by a shocking upset of No. 2 seed Port Allegany less than 48 hours later to advance to the state playoffs.
Those two wins — both dramatic and special in their own right, coupled with the success of the Cameron County boys team, which won its first state playoff game since 1972 Friday, created a buzz not just within the school, but throughout the Emporium community as well.
“For the school, for the town, it’s just been so awesome,” Sullivan said. “This experience the last few weeks has been absolutely precious.”
For Blairsville, the win was a long time coming.
It’s the first state playoff win in program history, coming off the heels of two-straight first round losses in 2013 and 2014. It’s an experienced group for sure, led by four seniors that include Koren, who is slated to play at Division I Colgate next season.
“They’re a very good group of kids and this only comes around public schools very seldom,” said Blairsville coach Ralph McGinnis. “You have to enjoy it when you have it. It feels good. This is the fifth try for Blairsville and my fourth one. Hopefully the jinx is gone now.”
The Lady Cats (24-2) were all over Cameron County (15-11) from the start. They jumped out to a 9-1 lead less than two minutes in and never let up.
Cameron County appeared to stem the tide early and settle in offensively, as a layup by Susie Guisto made it 17-9 at the 2:32 mark of the first quarter, but that was as close as the Lady Raiders would get the rest of the way.
Guisto’s layup was followed by a personal 8-0 run by Blairsville’s Nicole Boyer, who came in averaging just over 9 points per game. Boyer scored a season-high 21 points, including 17 in the first half, as the Lady Cats built a 29-9 lead after one quarter.
If Boyer’s hot-shooting wasn’t enough, the 5-11 Koren got going in the second, drilling a pair of three’s, showing off the versatile skill set that has earned her a Division I scholarship.
Koren finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while fellow senior Laurel O’Barto added 11 points as Blairsville built a commanding 51-15 halftime lead.
“Actually I thought we handled their full-court pressure pretty well,” Sullivan said. “But once we got down there we had difficulty scoring, which is a credit to their defense. I’m certainly proud of the effort my girls put out there.”
Guisto (Cameron County’s leading scorer this season at just over 13 ppg.), Mady Harrier and Mallory Lyon each scored seven points to lead Cameron County.
With the outcome well in hand late in the fourth quarter, Sullivan took the opportunity to remove Guisto and Lyon — the Lady Raiders’ two seniors, to a well-deserved ovation.
“I’m going to miss them both,” Sullivan said. “They both do everything all summer long. They’re very dedicated and they will be tough to replace next year. They (Guisto and Lyon) set the bar for next year. We certainly would like to get back to this same position.”
By Quarters
Cameron County 9 6 5 5 — 25
Blairsville 26 25 15 6 — 72
Cameron County (25)
Susie Guisto 3-0-3-7, Mallory Lyon 3-1-2-7, Madi Guisto 0-1-4-1, Madison Harrier 3-1-3-7, Amelia Holjencin 0-0-0-0, Amily Schatz 0-1-2-1, Alayna Genevro 1-0-0-2, Noelle Austin 0-0-0-0, Totals 10-4-14-25
Blairsville (72)
Nicole Boyer 9-0-0-21, Rene Enterline 4-0-0-8, Kia Clayton 2-3-4-7, Laurel O’Barto 5-1-1-11, Chelsey Koren 8-1-2-21, Mikayla Mistenny 0-0-0-0, Emily Oswald 0-0-0-0, Corrine Moore 2-0-0-4, Emily Small 0-0-0-0, Allyson Smathers 0-0-0-0, Shelby Oswald 0-0-0-0, Baylee Riggle 0-0-0-0, Totals 30-5-7-72
Three-point FGs: Cameron County (1) — S. Guisto; Blairsville (7) — Koren 4, Boyer 3
